Sheet holder



May 22, 1951 Filed March 12, 1949 B. K. SLONNEGER 2,553,948

SHEET HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.4

2| flo FIG 2 24 5a l5 2 'l 1 I 26 l? 2lb ll 3 lo INVENTOR BRUCE K.SLONNEGER HIS ATTORNEY y 1951 B. K. SLONNEGER 2,553,948

SHEET HOLDER Filed March 12, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 4O 29 INVENTOR BRUCEK. SLONNEGER HIS ATTORNEY May 22, 1951 B. K. SLONNEGER SHEET HOLDER 3Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 12, 1949 \IIAI...

INVENTOR BRUCE K. SLONNEGER HIS ATTORNEY Patented May 22, 1951 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET HOLDER Bruce K. Slonneger, Dayton, OhioApplication March 12, 1949, Serial No. 81,069 19 Claims. (01. 281-44)This invention relates to a sheet holder and is designed moreparticularly for use with sales slips or the like, but may be used withsheets of various kinds.

- One object of the invention is to provide a sheet holder in which theclosure is movable lengthwise of the body of the holder to position thesame lnLsupporting relation to a withdrawn sheet and is also bodilymovable to a position providing free access to the interior of theholder.

A further; object of the invention is to provide such a sheet holder inwhich the closure has both sliding movement and pivotal movementwith-relation to thebody of the holder.

A further object of the invention is toprovide such a sheet holder inwhich the retained portion of a used sheet may be moved from the upperside of the sheet supporting member to the lower side thereof withoutdetaching the same from'the supportingmember.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a sheet holder inwhich the sheet supporting member is pivotally supported at one end inthe holder and is provided at its free end with sheet attaching meanswhich permit the attached sheets to be moved from one side thereof tothe other side thereof. 7

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide such a sheet holder inwhich a sheet supporting member may be connected with the closure formovement therewith when the closure is moved about its pivotal axis.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide such a sheet holder inwhich that end of the sheet supporting member with which the sheets areconnected is pivotally supported for movement to a position to permitaccess to the holder below the supporting member.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a sheet holder inwhich the closure is movable rearwardly with relation to the sheetsupporting member to provide an extended hand rest on which the hand mayrest upon making an entry on the uppermost sheet.

Other objects of the invention may appear as the sheet holder isdescribed in detail.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a sheet holderembodying the inven; tion, partly broken away, and showing the close"are in an intermediate position; Fig. 2 l'SiiiEl. side elevation of theholder as shown in Fig with one side wall thereof broken away; Fitransverse section taken on the line 3-3; 4 2; 4 is a side elevation ofthe holder showfig the'closur'e partly broken awayjand extendingoutwardly from the body of the holder; Fig. 5 is a top plan view, partlybroken away, of a modifled formof the sheet holder; Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of the sheet holder of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a side elevation ofthe sheet holder of Fig. 5 showing the closure and sheet supportingmember in outwardly extending positions, one side wall of theholder-being partly broken away; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of anotherform of sheet holder, with one side wall of the holder partly brokenaway and showing the closure and sheet supporting member in outwardlyextending positions; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of another form of sheetholder with one side wall of the holder partly broken away, and with theclosure and sheet supporting member in outwardly extending positions;and Fig. 10 is a side elevation of. another form of holder showing theupper member or closure in an inclined position with relation to thelower member of the holder.

In these drawings I have illustrated certain embodiments of theinvention but it is to be understood that the invention may be embodiedin sheet holders of various kinds and that the sheet holder as a whole,as well as the various parts thereof, may take various forms withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

In each illustrated form the sheet holder comprises a lower member, asheet supporting member adapted to support a pile of superposed sheetson or in the lower member and so supported that at least one end portionthereof may be moved outwardly from the lower member, said supportingmember being provided at its forward end with means for retaining saidpile of sheets thereon. An upper member, or closure, is connected withthe lower member for movement lengthwise of the latter to expose theuppermost sheet of the pile, of sheets and for pivotal movement withrelation to the lower member to a position which will permit the movableportion of said sheet holder to move, or to be moved, outwardly fromthelower member. In use the sheet holder is usually supported in asubstantially horizontal position, either by the hand of the operator oron a table, and when so supported the outward movement of the sheetsupporting member is an upwardimovement.

In thatembodiment illustrated in Figsi-l to 4 the lower member of thesheet holder comprises a shallow ;;recep tacle having a bottom 'wall It,side walls l l, a rear wall l2 and a fron 11 13. The front wall ispreferably providedwi war-dly extendi upper portion Mari present.instanc is shown as suhst semi-circular in form and is bowed forwardlybeyond the ends of the side walls H. Elongate members i 5 are pivotallyconnected with the forward portion of the receptacle and normally extendrearwardly along the respective lateral edges thereof. An upper memberor closure 56 is mounted on said elongate members for movement towardand from the pivotal axis of the latter. In the arrangement shown thefront end wall It of the receptacle is provided at its upper edge withbearings l? and the elongate members 95 are shown as round rods the endportions of which are bent inwardly and rotatably supported in therespective bearings H. The closure [-6- is provided at its lateral edgeswith downwardly and inwardly extending parts [9 forming" guideways toreceive the elongate members and slidably support the closure thereon.

A sheet supporting member is supported the receptacle and is adapted toreceive and support a pile of superposed sheets, 2!. In the presentinstance the sheet supporting member comprises a sheet of metalpivotally connected at its rear end with the receptacle and curved abouta transverse axis so that the forward portion thereof is biasedupwardly. For a purpose, which Will hereinafter appear, the pivotal axisof the sheet supporting member preferably has limited vertical movementand as here shown screws, or studs, 22 extend into the rolled rear endportion 22a of the supporting member and are rotatably and slidablymounted in slots 23 in the side walls ll adjacent the rear ends thereof.

The sheet supporting member is provided at its forward end with sheetattaching, or retaining, devices and these attaching devices arepreferably of such a character that a sheet supported on the upper sideof the sheet supporting member may be moved about the end of thesupporting member to a position on the lower side thereof between thesupporting member and the bottom wall IQ of the receptacle. In thepreferred construction each attaching device comprises two semi-circularmembers 24 the adjacen't ends of which, at one side of the device, arepivotally connected one with the other and the other ends thereof arearranged in alinement and are preferably overlapped, as shown at 25.Thus each attaching device is annular in form. Each annular device isconnected with the forward end of the sheet supporting member 29 and ispreferably movable about an axis parallel to the supporting member. Inthe present instance the supporting member is provided at its forwardend with bearings 25 in which is mounted a rod 21 and the'firstmentioned end portions of the semi-circular members 2 1 are pivotallymounted on that rod and are held in contact one with the other by aspring 28 mounted about the rod 2's and confined between the adjacentsemi-circular members of the two attaching devices. Thus it will beapparent that the two parts of each attaching device may be separated topermit one of said semi-circular members to be inserted through openingsin the pile of sheets 2i and then closed to retain the sheets thereon.When the closure ['6 is in its closed position the forward end of thesupporting'member and the attaching devices are wholly within thereceptacle, the supporting member flexing to permit the same to moveinwardly, and they. are retainedin this position by the closure.The-sheets" 2 L areh'ereshownlas single sheets but a salessheet:comprises at least two connected but separable portions arranged onebelow the other with a transfer medium between adjacent portions, andthe term sheet is herein used to include either a single sheet or amultiple sheet. When an entry is to be made on a sheet the closure ismoved rearwardly on the elongate members l5 to expose the major portionof the uppermost sheet of the pile. The retraction of the closurepermits the forward ends of the supporting member and the sheets to moveupwardly so that the ends of the sheets are then supported above thelevel of the closure. The rear or unattached end of the uppermost sheetis then withdrawn from the pile and the closure moved forwardly beneaththe withdrawn sheet to provide writing support therefor while the entryis being made.

When the entry has been completed the detachable-porticn or portions ofthe sheet are detached and the remaining or record portion of the sheet,through which the attaching devices extend, remains attached tothesupporting member. The closure is then swung outwardly about its andthe supporting member and the sheets thereon are moved outwardly aboutthe rear pivotal axis of the supporting member so that the forward endportion of the supporting member and the attaching devices are spaced asubstantial distance from the receptacle, somewhat greater than thedistance shown in Fig. 4. The attached portion 2w. of the used sheet isthen moved, on the annular attaching devices, about the end of thesupporting member to a position on the lower side of the supportingmember and when the supporting member is returned to its normal positionthe used sheet lies between the supporting member and the bottom of thereceptacle, that is, in the lower compartment of the receptacle, whichis divided by the support ing member into an upper compartment forunused sheets and a lower compartment for used sheets, as shown at 2112.As the sheets are moved successively from the upper compartment to thelower compartment the number of sheets on the lower sides of theattaching devices increases with relation to the number of sheets on theupper sides thereof and this increased number of sheets on the lowersides of the attaching devices causes thelatter to move about theirpivotal connections with the supporting member so as to gradually lowerthe connected ends of the used sheets. Likewise as the number of sheetsin the lower compartment increases with relation to the number of sheetsinthe upper compartment the rear endof the supporting. member movesupwardly so as to increase the space between the supporting member andthe bottom of the receptacle.

While it is preferable to swing the closure and-the supporting memberoutwardly abouttheir respective pivotal axes distances sufficient toenable the used sheet to move freely from the upper side of thesupporting member to the lower side thereof, the used sheet can be movedto the lower side of the supporting member while the closure is in aposition parallel with the receptacle. When the closure is fully openedbut is parallel with the receptacle the forward portion of the supportinmember can move out wardly between the-supporting rods 15 a substantialdistance with relation to the receptacle. This distance sufficient topermit the used sheets to be -moved about the forward end of thesupporting member,jalth'oughwhen-so moved the sheets may engage the endportion ct the receptacle and will have to be pushed downwardly into thereceptacle.

The sliding movement of the closure may be limited in any suitablemanner to prevent the unintentional removal of the closure from thesupporting rods. In the present arrangement the rear ends of the rods l5are connected by a cross member I5a which lies close to the undersurface of the closure and the closure is provided with a downwardlyextending projection or projections I517 spaced from the forward end ofthe closure such a distance that they will engage the cross rod [5a andinterrupt the movement of the closure at the desired point. Theprojections are here shown as formed by indentations in the uppersurface of the closure.

In Figs. 5 to 'lthere is shown a form of the sheet holder in which thesheet supporting member is normally supported in the receptacle but maybe connected with the closure so as to move outwardly therewith when thelatter is moved about its pivotal axis. As there shown the lower memberis in'the nature of a receptacle 29 and is of a construction similar tothat above described and the closure 30 is slidably supported on rods 3|which are pivotally connected with the forward end of the receptacle inthe manner described. The sheet supporting member 32 is provided at itsforward end with an upwardly extending part 33 having at its upper edgea rearwardly extending lip 34. At its rear end the supporting member isprovided with a hook shaped portion including a part 35 extendingupwardly at substantially right angles to the longitudinal portion ofthe supporting member, and a downwardly extending part 36 which hooksover the upper edge of the rear end wall of the receptacle and projectsrearwardly a short distance beyond the same. A sheet gripping member 3'!is connected with the sheet supporting member between the ends thereofand the forward portion of th gripping member is biased upwardly towardthe lip 34 to grip the forward end of the pile of sheets 38 between thesame and the lip. When the closure is in its normal closed position theforward edge thereof extends beneath the lip 34 and thus supports thatend of the sheet supporting member. However, the engagement of the hookshaped portion 35i5 of the supporting member with the rear end wall ofthe receptacle is such as to support the forward portion of thesupporting member out of engagement with the a bottom of the receptaclewhen the closure is in its retracted position. The rear end portion oftheclosure is provided with a downwardly extending part 39 having at itslower end a lip 49 so arranged that it will be below and spaced from thelower edge of the part 36 of the hook on the supporting member when theclosure is in its normal closed position. Thus when the closure isretracted to permit the uppermost sheet 380. to be withdrawn the lip 46will move past the part 36 of the hook, and when the closure is moved toits foremost position beneath the withdrawn sheet the lip 40 will againbe below the part 36 and the forward end of the closure will be insupporting relation to the lip 34 at the forward end of the supportingmember. With the parts in these positions the outward movement of theclosure about its pivotal axis will cause the lip 40 to engage the hookpart 35 and connect the sheet supporting member with the closure andthus cause the sheetsupfporting member to move with the closureoutwardly from the receptacle, thereby providing freeaccess to thereceptacle below the rear portion of the supporting member. The retainedpart, or copy, of the withdrawn sheet being frictionally held betweenthe lip 34 of the supporting member and the forward end of the closuremay be withdrawn. either before or after the closure is moved outwardly,and inserted in the lower compartment of the receptacle.

The sheet holder shown in Fig. 8 also comprises a receptacle 4i and aclosure 52 slidably supported on rods pivotally connected with therearwardly extending upper portion of the front end wall 44 of thereceptacle. The rear end pertion of this rearwardly extending part ofthe end wall is turned downwardly and forwardly to form a bearing orbearings 45 in which the transverse end portions of the rods 43 aresupported. These bearings are adapted to engage the upper surface of theend portions of the pile of sheets and thus constitute gripping memberswhich cooperate with an upwardly biased lower gripping member 46. Thegripping member 46 is in the nature of a plate 41 the rear portion ofwhich is pivotally connected with a second member or plate ea rigidlysecured to the rearwardly ex tending upper portion of the end wall 44and extends downwardly therefrom. The adjacent edge portions of themembers 4'! and 48 are provided with bearings 49 to receive a hinge pin49a about the axis of which the lower gripping member 65 moves. A spring49?) supported on the hinge pin acts on the lower gripping member andmoves the same upwardly about said axis. A sheet supporting member 50,which is pivotally connected at its forward end with the gripping member46, supports a pile of sheets 52 with the rear ends between the twogripping members. In the present instance the forward end of thesupporting member extends above the gripping member 46 and is pressedupwardly by that member to grip the sheets between-the same and theupper gripping member or bearing 45. Preferably the supporting member isprovided at its rear end with a tab 5i to facilitate its withdrawal fromthe receptacle. I

The sheet holder of Fig. 9 is substantially similar in its operation tothe sheet holder of Fig. 8 but the sheet gripping mechanism vis slightlydifferent from that of Fig. 8. It comprises a receptacle 53 having anupwardly extending forwardly curved front end wall Si l the rearwardlyextending upper portion of which is provided with a hearing or bearings5'4 to receive the transverse end portionof the rods 55 on which theclosure 56 is slidably mounted. The bearing or bearings 51 also havegripping engagement with the upper surface of the end portion of a pileof sheets which are supported by an upwardly biased lower grippingmember 53. The lower gripping member is shown as comprising a fiat plateslidably mounted on upright posts 53 rigidly supported at their lowerends in the lower portion of the receptacle, one only of the rods beinghere shown. Followers 65 slidably supported on the respective rodsengage the lower surface gripping member 53 and are urged wardly bysprings 6i coiled about the posts 58, thus causing the sheets to begripped between the gripping member 58 and the bearing or upper grippingmember 5?. A sheet supporting member 62 is pivotally connected at itsforward end with the rear edge of the lower gripping member 53, as by aflexible member 52a. In this .instance the forward end of thesheetsupporting member. terminates .at. the. forward .ed e -ef. the

lower gripping member and the latter has direct engagement with thelower surface of the pile of sheets. The sheets of the pile of sheetsare preferably perforated to receive the posts 59 and to slide thereon.However, the upper ends of the posts terminate slightly below thebearing or upper gripping member so that the upper sheet, which is inengagement with the upper gripping member, is above the upper ends ofthe posts 59 and is retained in position by friction only and can,therefore, be Withdrawn from the gripping members without tearing.

In Fig. 10 there is shown a different type of sheet holder whichcomprises a lower member or flat plate 63 and an upper member or closure54 slidably mounted on rods 65. The rods 55 are pivotally mounted in abearing or bearings at the rear edge of a rearwardly extending grippingmember 67 which is pivotally connected with and carried by a lowermember t8 which is rigid- 1y secured to and extends rearwardly beyondthe lower plate 53. An arcuate spring 6Q engages the members 6'5 and 68and-presses the member 61 downwardly toward the rear portion of themember 58 on which the forward end of a pile of sheets 13 rests, thuscausing the sheets to be gripped between the bearing or bearings 63 andthe lower member 68. The lower member 58 has its upper surface in ahorizontal plane of the upper surface of the plate 63 and obviously thelower member 68 may be of such length that the sheets are grippeddirectly to the bottom member 63 instead of the member 68.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention Iwish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to thedetails thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilledin the art.

Having now fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A- sheet holder comprising a bottom member and a top member arrangedto receive between them a pile of individually removable sheets, meansfor retaining said sheets between said members, and means for supportingsaid top member on said bottom member for movement about atransverseaxis adjacent the forward end of said bottom member'and for fore and aftmovement with relation to said axis.

2. A sheet holder comprising a bottom member, elongate members connectedwith said bottom member for movement about a transverse axis adjacentone end of said bottom member and extending from said axis toward theother end of said bottom member, a top member supported by said elongatemembers for movement therewith about said axis and for movement towardand from said axis, and means for retaining a pile of individuallyremovable sheets between said top and bottom members.

3. A sheet holder comprising a bottom member, elongate members connectedwith said bottom member for movement about a transverse axis adjacentthe forward end of said bottom member and extending rearwardly from saidaxis, a top member having adjacent its respective lateral edgeslongitudinal guideways to receive the respective elongate members andslidably support said top member thereon, and means for retaining a pileof individually removable sheets between said top and bottom members.

4. A sheet holder comprising a bottom member, elongate members connectedwith said bottom member for: movement abouts a transverse axis.

adjacent the forward". end of said bottommember and extending rearwardlyfromsaid axis, a top member supported by said elongate members formovement therewith about said axis and for movement toward and from saidaxis, a transverse member connected with and extending between the rearportions of said elongate members, said top member having a partextending downwardly therefrom to engage said transverse member andlimit the rearward movement of said top member, and means for retaininga pile of individually removable sheets between said top and bottommembers.

5. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movement toward and. from said axis, anda sheet supporting member movably supported in said receptacle, at leastone end portion of said member being movable outwardly beyond saidreceptacle when said closure is moved about said axis.

6. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a'pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said axis, and asheet supporting member extending for the major portion of the length ofsaid receptacle and pivotally supported adjacent one end thereof inlsaidreceptacle, the free end portion of said member being movable outwardlybeyond said receptacle when said closure is moved outwardly about itsaxis.

7. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said axis, and asheet supporting member supported in said receptacle with its forwardend portion adjacent the pivotal axis of said closure and free foroutward movement with relation thereto, whereby the movement of saidclosure from its said axis will release said forward portion of saidmember for movement outwardly beyond said receptacle.

8. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptaclefor movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said axis, and asheet supporting member extending lengthwise of said receptacle,pivotally connected at its rear end with said receptacle and having itsforward end adjacent the pivotal axis of said closure, whereby themovement of said closure from said axis will release the forward portionof said member for movement outwardly beyond said receptacle.

9. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movementv toward and from said. axis, anda sheet supporting member supported. in said receptacle with its forwardend portion adjacent the pivotal axis of said. closure and free foroutward movement with relation there-- tail the end. portion of, memberbeing.

movable toward the open side of said receptacle as a pile of sheets onsaid member decreases in thickness, thereby providing increased spacebetween said member, and the bottom of said receptacle.

10. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle having bottom, side and endwalls, a movable closure for said receptacle, a member within saidreceptacle dividing the same into upper and lower compartments andadapted to support a pile of sheets in said upper compartment; one endportion of said member being biased to a position above and spaced fromsaid receptacle when said closure is in its open position, annular sheetattaching devices connected with and extending beyond said end portionsof said member and adapted to extend through openings in said pile ofsheets and to support the latter on said member, the sheets of said pilebeing individually 'movable on said annular devices from positions abovesaid member to positions below the same and extending lengthwise thereofwhen said end portion of said member is spaced from said re- :verse axisadjacent one end of said receptacle and for movement toward and fromsaid axis, a sheet supporting member removably supported in saidreceptacle and dividing the latter into upper and lower compartments,means or retaining said pile of sheets on said member in a position fromwhich the uppermost sheet may be withdrawn when said closure has beenmoved from said axis to an open position, said closure .being movable toa closed position beneath the withdrawn sheet, and means operative whensaid closure is in said closed position to connect said supportingmember with said closure for movement therewith about said axis. 12. Asheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said axis, and asheet supporting member supported normally on said receptacle, saidclosure having means operative when said closure is in its closedposition to connect said supporting member with said" closure formovement therewith about said axis.

13. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent oneend of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said axis, asheet supporting member supported normally in said receptacle, saidclosure being movable with relation to said receptacle to an openposition, and means controlled by the movement of said closure to itsclosed position to connect said receptacle with said closure formovement therewith about said axis.

14. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle having a bottom wall, sidewalls and front and rear end walls, a closure for said receptacle, meansfor connecting said closure with said front wall for movement withrelation thereto about a transverse axis and for movement toward andfrom said axis, a sheet supporting member supported normally in saidreceptacle and having at its front end a part with which said closurehas supporting connection when in its closed position, said supportingmember also having a part extending beyond said rear end wall, and saidclosure having at its rear end a part which extends beneath the lastmentioned part of said supporting member when said closure i in itsclosed position and adapted to engage the same when said closure ismoved about said transverse axis and cause said supporting member tomove with said closure.

15. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle having a bottom wall, sidewalls and front and rear end walls, a closure for said receptacle, meansfor connecting said closure with said front wall for movement withrelation thereto about a transverse axis and for movement toward andfrom said axis, a sheet supporting member in said receptacle having atits rear end a hook shaped part which normally has supporting engagementwith the rear end wall of said receptacle, said supporting member havingat its front end an upwardly extending part provided at its upper edgewith a lip extending rearwardly above the front end portion of saidclosure when the latter is in its closed position, said closure havingat its rear end a part which extends beneath the outer end of said hookshaped part when said closure in its closed position and is adapted toengage said hook shaped part and impart upward movement to saidreceptacle when said closure is moved about said axis.

16. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle having a bottom wall, sidewalls and front and rear end walls, a closure for said receptacle, meansfor connecting said closure with said front wall for movement withrelation thereto about a transverse axis and for movement toward andfrom said axis, a sheet supporting member in said receptacle having atits rear end a hook shaped part which normally has supporting engagementwith the rear end wall of said receptacle, said supporting member havingat its front end an upwardly extending part provided at its upper edgewith a lip extending rearwardly above the front end portion of saidclosure when the latter is in its closed position,

said closure having at its rear end a part which extends beneath theouter end of said hook shaped part when said closure is in its closedposition and is adapted to engage said hook shaped part and impartupward movement to said receptacle when said closure is moved about saidaxis, and a retaining member carried by said supporting member andhaving an upwardly biased end projection beneath said lip to gripbetween the same and said lip the end portion of a pile of sheets onsaid supporting member.

17. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent thefront end of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said axis,and a sheet supporting member supported in said receptacle for movementabout an axis adjacent the front end of said receptacle, the rearportion of said supporting member being movable outwardly beyond saidreceptacle when said closure has been moved outwardly about its saidaxis.

18. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle adapted to receive a pile ofsheets, a closure for said receptacle, means for connecting said closurewith said receptacle for movement about a transverse axis adjacent thefront end of said receptacle and for movement toward and from said"axis, upper and lower sheet gripping members in'the forward portion ofsaid receptacle, and a sheet supporting member pivotally connected withsaid lowerlgripping member, extending rearwardly therefrom and adaptedto support a pile of sheets gripped between said gripping members, therear portion of said supportingmember being free to move outwardly whensaid closure has been moved outwardly about its said axis.

19. A sheet holder comprising a receptacle "adapted to receive a pile ofsheets and having a front end wall provided with a rearwardly extendingupper portion adapted to have gripping engagement with'the upper surfaceof the end [portion of a pile of sheets, a sheet gripping 'membersupported in said receptacle'below the sheet engaging portion of saidend wall and biased toward the-latter, and a member pivotally connectedwith said gripping member, extending :rearwardly therefrom and adaptedto support a pile of sheets with the forwardend of said pile grippedbetween said gripping memfile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 655,876 Kearney Aug. 14,1900 839, 201 Richter Dec. 25, 1906 1,473,354 Nachtrieb Nov. 6, 1923

